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Super Seniors, Super Senior Living Communities, Super Give-Away

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013

Creating Results’ Kathy East and Todd Harff are at the VANHA annual meeting this week. VANHA is the Virginia Association of Non Profit Homes for the Aging, representing many terrific senior living communities serving elders in the state.

Todd and Kathy are there to both learn and help others learn. Tomorrow, Friday the 24th, they’ll be presenting a dynamic session titled “What Do Today’s Seniors Want From Online Marketing and Social Media?” The presentation includes the first look at early data from our national Social, Silver Surfers study. And they’ve jam-packed their session with action items, insights and a case study on how one continuing care retirement community is pursuing social media marketing. Marketing pros play the Super Seniors Trivia Game at the VANHA 2013 conference

Be sure to attend Todd and Kathy’s presentation — Friday, May 24 at 8a.

They’re also there for fun! If you’re attending, be sure to stop by our booth – #305. Todd, Kathy and Judy Harff (our illustrious CEO) are running a game show. Really, a game show!

VANHA attendees can win prizes on the spot or enter to win a drawing for a social media start-up package valued at more than $1000. Please stop by booth 305 and enter to win!

Not attending VANHA’s 2013 meeting?

Then we want to bring a bit of the fun to you.

Here are a few of the questions asked in our Trivia Game. How well do you know Super Seniors?

online survey softwarePlease take my survey now

Posted in 60+, Healthcare - CCRCs, Silent Generation | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 5/20/13

Monday, May 20th, 2013

As the song goes, “rainy days and Mondays always get me down.” But sharing great resources and insights is a nice antidote!

Welcome to another edition of the Mature Marketing links round-up. This is a collection of content that received the most attention from 50+ marketing pros in the past week on various social channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus, to name a few). And what set folks clicking last week?

1. MOST SHARED: The Baby Boomer Retirement Crunch Begins. US News & World Report took a look at 65-plus Americans, a group growing rapidly as Leading Edge Baby Boomers age. (This age band grew 18 percent between 2000 and 2011.) What does author Emily Brandon see as retirement for the typical 65-plus senior?

* Low incomes – In 2011, nearly 3.6 million elderly people (8.7%) lived below the poverty level in 2011. A typical 65-plus household had a median income of $48,538.

* Reliance on social security – 86 percent of people age 65 and older receive monthly payments.

* Continuing to work – In 2012, 18.5% of Americans age 65 and older were in the labor force. Those aged 65 and 69 are the most likely to be working. Brandon does note that some work because they have to, some because they want to.

* Staying put – It’s getting harder for destination retirement communities to attract older adults.

“Between 2011 and 2012, only 3 percent of people age 65 and older moved, compared to 14 percent of people under 65. And most older movers stayed in the same state (83 percent) and the same county (61 percent). Only 16 percent of people who traded spaces after age 65 relocated out of state or abroad. Most senior citizens (81 percent) also reside in metropolitan areas.”

RELATED: Todd Harff discussed locations in this post on Baby Boomer housing trends from the Urban Land Institute conference.

* Making it to Medicare – In 2011, 93% of 65+ers were covered by Medicare and 86% had supplemental coverage to fill in gaps.

* Longer retirement – Retirees and pre-retirees are more aware of the longevity bonus, in which the average life expectancy for people turning age 65 is an additional 20.4 years for women and 17.8 years for men.

Read the whole post in US News: http://bit.ly/12GpXFV

2. MOST CLICKED: 6 Myths about Social Media Marketing. Michael Mothner debunks misconceptions for Inc. We especially liked:

“Myth No. 2: My customers are older, so social media won’t work for my company.

A whopping 56% of Internet users 50 years or older use Facebook. Your clients and future clients are absolutely waiting for you to find them on Facebook–as well as Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram and other social tools.”

Read all 6 myths: http://bit.ly/17Trehf

3. MOST FAVORITED (that’s the Twitter version of Facebook’s LIKE): An “oldie but goodie,” this 2011 post by Todd Harff makes clear the new realities of real estate marketing:

“No longer are builders simply ‘hunting’ 50+ homebuyers with oversized postcards targeted by age, zip and income. Prospects begin hunting on their own – starting their research online, on their time, long before they think of paying you a visit in the real world.

So an integrated Internet Strategy that matches your prospects’ preferences is a critical resource to help you pursue AND nurture Leads.

Lead nurturing is an ongoing conversation, not a series of hit-and-run campaigns.”

Read the post: http://bit.ly/11Re4QG

I hope you’re getting nicer weather in your neck of the woods. How about bringing some sunshine to this blog, and sharing your comments or questions below? Happy Monday!

Posted in 60+, Boomers, Real Estate Marketing, Silent Generation, Social Networking | No Comments »

Hot or Not? Digital Marketing, Seniors and The Need for Strategy

Thursday, May 16th, 2013

A recent eMarketer report finds seniors are “Still Lukewarm on Web Activity,” noting use of the Internet, smart phones and social networks by those over 65 lags behind the total US population.

In 2012, for the first time, more than half of people over 65 were using the Internet. However they spend less time on the Web than other age groups. As the authors write “For media usage, TV is still the medium that matters most for seniors, far more so than for younger generations.”

This is no surprise to Creating Results. In June of 2012, we wrote,

“When it comes to influence on consumers, TV is still King. And when it comes to older consumers, Newspapers are the Queen …”

And in April of 2011,

“[W]hile social media marketing may appear to be the darling of the day, “old fashioned” TV and print continue to grab prospects by the wallet. The effectiveness of television advertising is consistent across all ages – high numbers of Millennials, Baby Boomers and 65+ seniors report that it has an impact on their buying decision. And the impact of magazine ads increases with age.”

The eMarketer report emphasizes the need for an integrated marketing strategy that helps you leverage the best vehicles for reaching seniors today — while at the same time preparing for future changes.

It’s easy to get distracted by the latest, buzzy tool. Digital marketing it is not a fad, of course, though the breathless media coverage will eventually cool down. You have to take the time to cull what’s hot from what’s not for YOUR audience.

Posted in 50+, 60+, Internet, Marketing | No Comments »

Email Subject Lines: What’s the Magic Number?

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

Email Marketing Strategies for Active Adults and Seniors

A recent report from Experian found that email volume rose 5.4% in the last year. What does this mean for marketers? For one- it just got harder to stand out in the inbox. We constantly are working with our clients who are messaging to active adult and senior living communities to help determine what moves the needle for their respective email subscribers. Is it the headline on an email, time of day or subject line? A few times this has begged the question…just what is the magic number for email subject lines to help you get noticed (in a good way)?

According to research released in December from Adestra, subject lines that were either less than 30 characters or longer than 90 were most effective, meaning that length does make a difference.

While the statistics from Adestra are intriguing, smart marketers realize that it’s not the world’s list that dictates the email best practices, but your own. Creating Results has reviewed the messaging we’ve created for and with senior living clients to come up with some industry-specific insights as to just what is the magic number of characters within a subject line.

We found:
•   The average subject line for all messages sent was 43 characters
•   The longest subject line had 72 characters and had an open rate of 37% and a click through rate of 4%
•   The shortest subject line had just 16 characters and an open rate of 34% and a click through rate of 17%

So what does this mean for active adult and senior living marketers? Subject lines aren’t the only ingredient required for creating an email that gets noticed. In the case of our Senior Living emails, open rates were more based on how something is said, not how many characters it takes to say it.

Email is the n North Hill Website Announce Email umber one activity of older adults online. It’s a great marketing tool. In order to have the perfect storm for great email open rates you need the following:
1.   Strong subject line thdoesn’t stop at the subject line but continues throughout using dynamic content based on individual interactions.
3.   Clear calls to action for next steps- what do you want the recipient to do? Don’t leave them wondering, be sure to call it out.
4.   Links to convert to website visitation for further awareness. North Hill, a CCRC in Boston, leveraged their email list to introduce a new website. Vibrant images of the new site along with links for learning more lead to a click through rate of 30%
5.   Test, test, test- every list (and every subscriber ) is different. The best way to determine what moves the needle is to go outside of the norm and test new things.

How do you approach the creation of your email subject lines? Share your thoughts here.

Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Email marketing, Healthcare - CCRCs, Housing, Internet, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 5/6/13

Monday, May 6th, 2013

A mud-splattered race but a clear winner … A galaxy of puns and visual riffs on Star Wars … A nation celebrating the freedom and democracy of another nation … This weekend had it all! If you’re as exhausted as we are from the Kentucky Derby, May the Fourth and Cinco de Mayo, here’s the solution: a round-up of the top links for marketing to baby boomers and seniors.

1. MOST CLICKED/MOST SHARED: Amazon is launching a new store — the 50+ Active and Healthy Living Store (www.amazon.com/50activeliving). Why?

As Savvy Shopper Korky Vann reported in the Hartford Courant it’s all about the money. (If we had a dollar for every time some big organization FINALLY realized the economic power of baby boomers and seniors …) She shared the following stats:

“* The 50-plus segment is the most affluent consumer group today, accounting for over 40 percent of total consumer demand.

* The group spends almost $2 trillion on goods and services annually.

* Consumers over 50 spend $7 billion each year on online purchases.

* And new research from Forrester Research found that baby boomers between the ages of 56-66 years old spend the most money online when compared to all other generations.”

Here are some more key facts about baby boomer spending power, the financial might of a cohort that comprises 44% of the population. They account for 49% of total CPG (consumer packaged goods) sales. Baby boomers control 70% of US disposable income. They purchase 80% of luxury travel. They are 41% of the customers buying Apple computers.

Which should explain why Amazon’s store has “departments” for travel & leisure and entertainment alongside those for incontinence and health care.

The new store is attempting to attract all folks over 50 — a very disparate group that can include a 50-year-old first-time parent to a 94-year-old classical music fan. Therefore, per Vann, Amazon is designing “a destination where the typeface is larger to encourage the presbyopic crowd to spend more time browsing, and the promotions are a little, well, less sexy than Amazon’s home page.” There’s also a lot more white space which is nice for eyes of any age.

Read the article: http://cour.at/11NDObt

Also of note:

* Events with resident testimonials, “glimpses of good life” sell homes to older buyers http://bit.ly/12b6Sdi (BuilderOnline)

* 7 steps for dealing with online trolls – GREAT advice from Gini Dietrich http://bit.ly/11NGENs

* Social listening: “The full-time job of growing old.” Insights from beloved Canadian journalist Joe Schlesinger http://bit.ly/127ODXE

* Audience Quality > Audience Quantity: Why I stopped caring about the numbers, by Myke Hurley http://bit.ly/13lMJCR

We care — about you and your thoughts, comments, tips, best Cinco de Mayo recipe … Please use the comments tool and share below. Thanks!

Tags: Amazon, baby boomer spending
Posted in 50+, 60+, Boomers, Internet | No Comments »

Baby Boomer Housing Trends

Thursday, April 25th, 2013

Urban Land Institute Conference Take-Aways (Part 2)

As part of an Urban Land Institute Trends conference, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel on what Baby Boomers want from housing. Yesterday’s post addressed trends in economics, locations and personalization. Today, two new trends.

Choosing Not to be Defined by Age

Julie Smith, President, Bozzuto Management Company, provided some insightful statistics from the more than 36,000 apartments Bozzuto operates. None of these apartments are age qualified, and yet they are seeing an increase in Boomers.

1. Residents over 50 account for almost 1/5 of Bozzuto’s portfolio.
2. 1/3 of people over 50 choose to live in urban areas.
3. People over 67 stay almost three times as long as people under 50.
4. They are wealthier and have higher incomes than younger renters and demand, and pay for, many more services.

Creating Experiences that are Compelling, Evolving

While most of the panel focused on home size and location, I directed my comments to the actual experience. After all, haven’t Boomers always focused on creating unique experiences for themselves?

Baby Boomers don’t want the homogenized communities or lifestyles of their parents or grandparents. They don’t want to be given a menu to choose from or an “Activities Director” to give them predetermined programing. No, Boomers want to have their way.

At the ULI conference I spoke about how the increase in home health care makes staying at home not only easier, but actually feasible. Retirement communities better have a compelling experiences in addition drop dead gorgeous product or they won’t survive.

For example, Creating Results’ client North Hill is not only totally reimagining their product, but also offering experiences people couldn’t possibly have if they stayed in their home or moved to a condo. They introduced the award-winning “PurposeFULL Living” which isn’t a program or listing of activities, it’s a call to arms. It’s just the type of idea that will engage Boomers as they continue to make their own rules for living their lives.

What’s Next for Baby Boomer Housing?

Instead of a few dominant models, the Urban Land Institute panel concluded, there will be a multitude of successful niche models that appeal to specific segments of Boomers.

Yes, Boomers are the largest generation, but they also are the most eclectic one we have ever known. The good news is that we have 78 million individuals who will live somewhere. The bad news is they will want 78 million different options and many of them won’t be able to afford what they want.

Embrace Baby Boomer individuality and deliver the unique experiences that they want to share with their friends, where they want to live.

The CCRC isn’t dead yet, but it will be if it doesn’t rapidly evolve. The same is true of traditional Active Adult communities. To figure out what could work in your area tomorrow, developers must be engaging with Boomers today and forgetting what they built yesterday.

RELATED: What Homebuyers Really Want (and What You Should Know) – this month’s newsletter. Not a subscriber? Sign up today!

Tags: Bozzuto Management Company, urban land institute
Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Healthcare - CCRCs, Housing | No Comments »

What Do Baby Boomer Buyers Want in A Home?

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

Urban Land Institute Trends Conference Take-Aways (Part 1)

The big question: “When it comes to a new home, what do Baby Boomers want?” The simple answer: “Everything.”

I recently had the pleasure of moderating an Urban Land Institute (ULI) panel of experts charged with identifying trends in housing Baby Boomers. We had questions. “Do Baby Boomers want to live in the city or suburbs?” “Do Baby Boomers want smaller homes or larger homes?” “Do Baby Boomers want a vibrant social life in a new community or would they rather age in place?”

The answers (like Baby Boomers themselves) are varied and complex. In today’s post I’ll share trends identified by three of the experts. Tomorrow, I’ll summarize the feelings of a final expert – and add my own thoughts on how to answer the big question in a way that engages Baby Boomers (and helps you meet sales goals).

ULI Report Demonstrates How Baby Boomer Economic Challenges Affect Home Buying Choices

John McIlwain, Senior Resident Fellow at The Urban Land Institute started off our panel discussion with highlights from his recently released report “Housing in America: The Baby Boomers Turn 65.”

This report is a must read for anyone who is involved in Boomer housing. It shows the increasing economic diversity and wide range of Boomer behavior. Mcllwain provides statistics on incomes and savings that show the critical need for many Baby Boomers to keep working.

He also argues that:
1. The future will not be like the past – It will require many new models.
2. Expect generational conflict as many Boomers out live their savings and require government support.
3. Boomers will need to work longer and are healthier, so just because they are 65 don’t expect a huge interest in retirement communities.

Forget “Senior Ghettos” – Consider Intergenerational Locations

St. John’s On The Lake
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Dan Cinelli, Managing Principal, Perkins Eastman talked about some of the CCRC communities he has worked on including Newbridge on The Charles and a high rise community, Saint John’s On The Lake. These edgy, high style communities are not your traditional retirement communities.

Cinelli encouraged the audience to not only be more innovative in the architecture, but to also look for locations that will allow and encourage Boomers to be part of an inter-generational community.

As an example for the attendees of this ULI panel, we spoke about one of Creating Results’ clients, a brand new 55+ community with access to health, wellness and support services called Fairing Way. It’s part of a master-planned development which will have its own commuter rail station, walkable downtown, businesses, entertainment and 2,800 homes. The location provides all the help a person might need as they age, while living in and being part of an energetic all age community.

These Boomer Boots Were Made for Walking (And Shopping)

David Mayhood, President, The Mayhood Company, entirely agreed and emphasized the importance of walkability. His clients are in urban areas and he sees Leading Edge Boomers wanting to be in the middle of it all.

Mayhood also spoke about the critical importance of personalization of interiors far beyond a few options, “When they move they want change – many view this as an opportunity to start over and are excited about getting new furniture, new art work, new friends.” This is a long way from the Silent Generation buyers wanting to make sure that all their furniture from their big home fits in their new apartment.

What examples have you seen of these trends in action? Please share them in the comments below.

TOMORROW: More take-aways from the Urban Land Institute panel on Baby Boomer housing trends.

Tags: Housing in America, John McIlwain, Perkins Eastman, The Mayhood Company, urban land institute
Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Healthcare - CCRCs, Housing, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Real Estate Marketing | 2 Comments »

CR Speaks! Marketing News (and Presentations) You Can Use

Thursday, April 18th, 2013

We’ve Updated our Library

Gain insights into marketing to Boomers and Seniors when you click here to view our library of recent presentations.

You can learn:

1. The Ins and Outs of Social Media: Explore how to use social networking to motivate the 50+ consumer.
2. The Nuts and Bolts of Email Marketing: Discover how you can effectively reach mature consumers, motivate them to act and measure your results with these simple action steps.
3. How to Align Your Brand with Mission: Learn how you can develop an authentic brand that allows your organization to thrive.
4. The Power of Generational Marketing: Identify how to move various cohorts through the purchase funnel.
5. How to Market to both Gen Yers and Boomers using Social Media and more: Identify the similarities between the two generations and how you can leverage within your marketing efforts.

Upcoming Events and Presentations
VANHA – May 21-24 – The Homestead, Hot Springs, VA
LeadingAge PA – June 19-21 – Hershey Lodge, Hershey, PA

Click here for a list of all upcoming speaking engagements. If you’ll be attending any of these conferences, we hope you’ll a) attend our sessions and/or b) meet us for a coffee! Just email todd@creatingresults.com.

Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Advertising, Boomers, Branding, Email marketing, Generation Jones (trailing edge Boomers), Healthcare - CCRCs, Internet, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Real Estate Marketing | No Comments »

Trust Me – I’m a Marketer

Monday, April 15th, 2013

… Or, Why Trust Is Critical When Emailing Seniors

As an email marketer I work with our clients on how to build and nurture trust among their Boomer and Senior email subscribers. This is an integral part of developing a relationship that results in engagement and action (and an important step before you attempt to ask for the world from older people).

A recent eMarketer report detailed current concerns about digital privacy among consumers. “The degree of such concern is not terribly high. And while voicing worry about privacy, they often compromise that privacy in their behavior,” the authors noted. The report graph at the right illustrates that the majority of US Internet users might have some worries, but aren’t considered “serious worriers” when it comes to online privacy. The report didn’t note age groups, but Creating Results’ proprietary research shows that many if not most elders are serious worriers.

When conducting our 2010 Social Silver Surfers research, we asked boomers and seniors what they liked and loathed about the web and social media. (Email is a top online and social activity for 50+ers.) We found that privacy is taken very seriously among mature consumers and, in some cases, will cause them to resist subscribing to your email program all together.

In this video, for example, you’ll hear a senior named Bob speak about his privacy fears and concerns in reference to forms, the Internet and Facebook.

Here are 4 ways to develop trust among your subscribers in email marketing seniors:

1. Do What You Say You Will: You set expectations with your subscribers from the minute they sign up for your program. If you say you will be sending a newsletter each month, honor that promise.

2. Don’t Abuse Information: Safety of personal information and how it will be used was a chief concern among those 65-74 that we interviewed for Social, Silver Surfers. Those marketing to seniors must keep this in mind. Just as you don’t want to purchase a list for emailing, you don’t want to sell the information of your subscribers (the old “sign up for one magazine and then receive a slew of them” trick).

3. Get Close But Not Creepy: I’m an analytics nut – just ask any of my colleagues. The beauty of email analytics is that you can track essentially every move your subscribers take, including how they engage with an email, what pages on your website they visit after reading your message, etc. While that information is great to know internally and can help you segment your message for relevancy, calling it out could be a little too in your face for your senior subscribers. Again, they see it as a violation of their privacy.

4. Reward Your Subscribers: Show your appreciation by saying thanks and rewarding these loyal brand enthusiasts with special gifts or contests. Being nice really does go a long way with seniors!

What do Older People Do Online?

It’s Loyalty, My Dear Boomer…Email Loyalty

Social Silver Surfers 2010 ebook

Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Email marketing, Marketing, Mature Consumers | 1 Comment »

War of the Worlds? Email vs Social Media Marketing for Targeting Older People

Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

Recently Creating Results has spoken about the benefits of an integrated email and social media strategy at a variety of settings, including the LeadingAge annual meeting, International Conference on Active Aging, the Planned Giving Group of New England, and the International Builder Show. Some audience members express concern with how to effectively use each avenue to reach mature consumers, others worry about how to avoid fatiguing followers and yet others aren’t sure how to establish each avenue independently.

Some marketing experts will tell you to never, under any circumstance should you promote the same messages within these two channels. CS Penn cites cannibalizing your list and fatiguing your followers as risks of cross promoting social and email.

I love CS Penn and recommend you subscribe to his blog (if you don’t already). But I have to say that I disagree to an extent. Below we’ve identified the pros and cons of running a successful email and social media marketing program that targets Boomers and Seniors, and how you can maximize both.

CON:

According to Penn, “if you share a newsletter socially, meaning that it’s viewable on the web from social media posts, does that then mean that your most engaged fans (who follow you, Like your Facebook page, etc.) will read straight from social and not open the email?”

PRO: Mature consumers are flocking to both avenues, so why not leverage to reach a larger audience.

According to Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, 52% of Internet Users aged 50-64 are using social networking sites, as are 32% of 65+ers online. Pew’s 2012 Generations Report found that 90% of online Boomers and and 86% of online Seniors use email.

How To Maximize

Many marketers will call out social media efforts within email by incorporating icons and links within their messaging to their social avenues. While this is a good start, you need to take it further to be successful.

1. Distinguish Yourself:
Formulate a concrete email strategy and a concrete social strategy that clearly identify the benefits to each. And (most importantly) the lion share of those benefits needs to be DIFFERENT. For example, a benefit of email sign up could be special event invitations and a benefit exclusive to social media channels could include behind the scenes tour/images.

Boomers and seniors especially can be sensitive to perceived privacy issues from both avenues. Be sure you are as clear as possible when describing the benefits of both email and social, and let them know you won’t sell their information.

2. Know the Differences:
The nature of the engagement through these two channels is inherently different. Social media is a more immediate, one-on-one communication channel (I can respond to an engagement in real time, as can other followers). Email is a one-way communication with opportunities to engage through other portals. It requires a stronger call to action than social.

Yes, if you’re posting the same info all the time on both avenues it doesn’t make sense to share your emails in the social world. Both channels are comprised of followers who want exclusive content. That needs to be a chief priority when creating content for either avenue. If you do this you can absolutely cross promote the two.

3. Email and Social Play Nice:
Both email and social media have great capabilities for allowing brand enthusiasts to spread the word through icons and forward to a friend tools … In other words email can grow your social base and social can grow your email list so be sure to use them accordingly. All emails should include links to your social media and many Email Service Providers (ESPs) provide ways to integrate an email sign up form right within your Facebook page.

Do your email and social strategies share nicely? Let us know how you approach to integrating these two marketing avenues.

What Older People Do Online-Infographic

Social Media and Marketing to Boomers, Seniors

Facebook, Internet Users More Similar to Offline Population Ages Than Ever

Tags: email marketing, marketing to boomers and seniors, social media marketing
Posted in 50+, 60+, Email marketing, Generation Jones (trailing edge Boomers), Mature Consumers, Silent Generation, Social Networking | No Comments »